


Not a minion.

by DearCat



Series: Tumblr Archive [14]
Category: Katekyou Hitman Reborn!
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, BAMF Sawada Tsunayoshi, BAMF Xanxus, Flame Harmonization (Katekyou Hitman Reborn!), Fluff, Gen, Humor, cloudy tsuna
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-28
Updated: 2020-05-17
Packaged: 2021-02-25 21:40:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,761
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21872359
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DearCat/pseuds/DearCat
Summary: When Tsuna was young, he ran away from home.
Relationships: Sawada Nana & Sawada Tsunayoshi, Sawada Tsunayoshi & Stefano (OC), Sawada Tsunayoshi & Xanxus
Series: Tumblr Archive [14]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1533116
Comments: 21
Kudos: 1013
Collections: Wasn't Quite Expecting This (But I Loved It)





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt by [umpromptly](https://unpromptly.tumblr.com).
> 
> Enjoy!

When Tsuna was young, he ran away from home. Or maybe it’s apter to say that he was lured to do so but whether that’s the case or not, Tsuna thinks it’s irrelevant. The important part of all of that is the result which is the same whatever the reason behind it. 

It had been a bad day, Tsuna remembers. What with the bullying and well… School as a whole. At that point in time, Tsuna was already starting to feel the weight of his mother’s disappointment. With time and space, Tsuna is ready to admit that she was probably worried about him and unsure of how to deal with it. 

But that comment… It had broken Tsuna’s heart. _My lazy son, what am I to do with you?_ It isn’t even that bad, thinking back. But Tsuna knew there was something just wrong with him and he kept trying _so_ hard only for it to not work at all. For his mother to say something like that, it had broken his heart back then.

So back then Tsuna had run, he ran to the one man he had thought actually saw _something_ in Tsuna, useless-Tsuna or not. He hadn’t been wrong either. Stefano was a teenager, about eight years older than Tsuna. Slim but deadly, with light brown hair and green eyes. Stefano had found Tsuna after a job and then stayed.

“You’re interesting,” the older boy had said. “So I stay, my instincts are good.”

Stefano was blunt and rather harsh but he also didn’t give up on Tsuna. “Come on,” the Italian would say, “stand up. Have some pride, damnit. Don’t let them make you vow.”

And Tsuna stood up, every time the bullies pulled him down, he’d stand up again. 

“Good,” Stefano would say. “Good, knew you had it in you. Now fight back.”

The older boy was a task-master but under his unrelenting eyes, Tsuna learned.

“WHY?!” Tsuna had snapped one day. “They’re bigger than me, they’re smarter!”

The Italian had scoffed, blowing the cigarette’s smoke to the side. “So? Then be quicker, be trickier, be deadlier. You work around it, brat.”

And Tsuna had. 

So that day, Tsuna had run to him. Stefano had taken one look at him and scoffed. “Lets go, then.”

It had taken Tsuna a second to process that but then he had nodded, breathing hard. “Where?”

Already packing, Stefano hadn’t even turned back to him. “Does it matter?”

“No.”

“Come,” Stefano had given Tsuna a duffel-bag. “Naivety will get you killed.”

That had been a warning, a true one. But it had also been said in that gruff annoyed way Tsuna had learned to recognize as reluctant fondness. Together they left Namimori behind, then Japan. They made it all the way to Italy. 

In Italy, Tsuna learned to lie with a smile on his face, he learned to use guns as easy as breathing though he liked his fists better. Tsuna learned there’s actual financial value to people’s lives. He learned to be possessive of what little he earned from himself, to be strong so he could protect it.

Stefano had been one step behind him during all of it, pushing Tsuna forward, giving advice and sarcastic commentary, Tsuna and Stefano had a weird relationship, not quite friends, not quite business partners, not quite brothers. And yet, a mixture of all of it.

Under Stefano’s tutelage, Tsuna flourished. 

Years later, on a mission gone spectacularly wrong, Tsuna had come back to the man covered in blood, nearly catatonic and with a newly broken seal. Stefano had nursed him back to health and then forced him right back to training as soon as Tsuna had been well-enough.

“You don’t get to die on me, brat.” The brunette had complained. “Not after everything I’ve invested in you.”

“Yeah, yeah. You love me, admit it.”

It had gotten him a slap to the back of the head but Tsuna knows it to be true. Those training sessions had been hellish. 

“Listen to me, brat. You can’t let anybody know, you hear me?” Tsuna had never seen Stefano so grim before. So the younger hitman keeps his flames hidden under his skin to this day.

“And if they do?”

“Then they don’t live to tell the tale.” Scowling, the Italian had crossed his arms in front of him. “Come on, I’m no sky but I can still teach you some tricks.”

Tsuna had learned then what it meant to be a sky in the mafia. A blessing and a curse. Tsuna is selfish and possessive but he’s also cautious, he’d die for all of his but that means he’s also rather selective. 

Another year had gone by without much change in their routines, Tsuna had become rather good at keeping his flames well-hidden. If anything, people thought him to be a rain for his tendency towards peace-keeping. Tsuna and Stefano had done nothing to dissuade them. 

But then, Stefano had come back with a folder full of information and disbelief written all over his face. “Read this.”

Apparently, the Vongola were getting rather desperate. They had lost a brat and were now turning every rock they could find trying to look for him. Tsuna hadn’t gotten it until he saw the picture. “…That’s me. But it’s been years!”

Grunting, Stefano had lit another cigarette. The third one since he arrived. “You need a style change.”

“I do.”

Tsuna, however, hadn’t been able to live without knowledge, curse his hard-earned paranoia. So he had dug, had found out about Iemitsu Sawada, Timoteo Vongola and his sons. Everybody just killing one another for the sake of the throne. How very cliche. 

The young sky had not been amused. And yet, for some reason he couldn’t quite understand, he kept digging on Xanxus of the Varia. He knew far more than necessary. Stefano’s words from so long ago came back to him then. 

Hu. Was it the same?

Possibly.

Inevitably, since Tsuna couldn’t leave the Varia well enough alone, the Varia started digging into Tsuna as well. It became some sort of cat and mouse game, except nobody was quite sure who was the mouse or the cat. Soon enough, Tsuna had gotten an invitation. 

Stefano had laughed in his face.

“I won’t work for you,” Tsuna had told Xanxus, who had been defrosted for about a year at that point. “But I’ll work with you, you’re interesting.”

The Varia Commander had scowled and aimed a gun at Tsuna’s face but the younger assassin hadn’t let him start the rant. He had learned that much from Stefano’s temper. “You’re interesting,” Tsuna repeated, “so I want to stay. I have good instincts. But I like my freedom too.”

Nobody could quite believe that Xanxus had accepted that but accepted it the man had. The fact that Timoteo had become desperate enough to commission the Varia’s help in finding the CEDEF’s lost child hadn’t quite crossed Tsuna’s mind back then.

Getting assigned his own missing person’s case had cracked Tsuna up. He couldn’t quite stop himself from laughing. The fact that Xanxus had changed the orders from track and retrieval to track and assassination was not lost on him but he didn’t particularly care. 

Of course, the scowling man had taken one good look at him and a longer look at the folder to finally see over Tsuna’s disguise. Still somewhat breathless from his laughing fit, Tsuna had pinned him to the ground and sat on his chest. Using his experience in calming grumpy co-workers, Tsuna managed to calm the Varia Boss enough for the man to be angry instead of “blinded with rage.”

Oh yes, Tsuna is good.

Probably sensing Tsuna’s smugness, Xanxus scowls. “Aren’t you supposed to be _my_ minion?” the man grunted up at the apparently-not-a-minion sitting on his chest.

The not-a-minion beamed. “I have no idea where you got that idea from.”

And Tsuna honestly didn’t, hadn’t he been clear about not working for the man? He might have been too nice in bringing the man coffee every morning. 

“Maybe,” Xanxus growled, “from the application you filled out and the interview you had where you swore up and down you didn’t have any powers–”

Ah yes, had they expected Tsuna to be truthful? He had thought it was merely for formalities sake. He wasn’t about to write down “sky flames” in the little box after trying so hard to keep them hidden. He had not thought that meant Xanxus believed he could order him around, though.

“And yet here I am,” Tsuna interrupted happily. “Sitting on your chest like I weight fifty times my weight.”

The wonderful advantages of being a cloudy sky. 

Propagation is a wonderful thing.


	2. From ‘Under his skin’ to ‘Rain’s Storm and Cloud’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, I think this is it for today :)  
> I actually like this series :) don't have anything else planned for it but I'm pretty sure I'll add to it in the future. 
> 
> Enjoy!

**[Under his skin]**

Tsuna kept going to Varia HQ after, bringing coffee and, occasionally, taking on some assignments. He knew it was driving Xanxus up the wall but Tsuna didn’t really care.

Stefano, for his part, thought the entire thing to be stupid. “You’re suicidal, brat.” The man would lament, “suicidal and stupid.”

Maybe Tsuna was. But he couldn’t keep away and Xanxus’ eyes slowly began to turn from hostile and confused to simply bewildered. Tsuna waited and kept at it.

Though he didn’t really know what he was waiting for.

“What are you doing?” Xanxus finally demanded one day.

Shrugging, Tsuna wiggled as he tried to find a comfortable position on the couch. “Dunno. You’re just interesting.”

“Interesting?” Xanxus’ voice couldn’t be more deadpan if he tried.

“Yup.”

But Tsuna had the feeling that the Commander understood. Maybe even better than the man would have liked to admit to himself.

Days later, Tsuna shows up with the customary cup of coffee for Xanxus and an actual itch for a mission. He’s restless, Tsuna admits to himself, paranoia has thought him to not be idle.

A part of him wanted to stay but the rest of him wanted to roam. Tsuna found the contradiction rather annoying.

Xanxus takes one look at him and suddenly seems to have a lightbulb moment. Tsuna wonders what he figured out but the urge to stay beside the man is not there that day. “Mission?” He asks instead, hoping for something distant.

“Cloud, hu?” Xanxus replies and Tsuna doesn’t contradict him. “I like my coffee with whisky, trash.” Let the other assassin pick his own theories, it saves Tsuna the need to convince Xanxus of his.

Tsuna takes the mission Xanxus offers him and hums his approval. “I won’t be an accomplice in the murder of your liver, man.” He ignores the hypocrisy as he lights the cigarette on his lips.

The Varia Commander just snorts and Sky flames brush against Tsuna as the younger man turns to leave.

Ah, Tsuna thinks. Is this what he has been waiting for? Not yet though and not completely. There’s something missing still.

* * *

**[Cloud and Storm]**

It takes a little over a year until Xanxus grows tired of Tsuna orbiting around him without doing much more than invading the man’s office and otherwise enjoying the Varia Commander’s presence in-between missions. 

Admittedly, Tsuna could be more cooperative about it but well… Clouds are notoriously difficult to pull in for a reason, and it’s not only because they’re already hard to come by, to begin with. 

The part of Tsuna that’s Cloud is not yet convinced. Yes, Xanxus has proved himself a good Sky. He has never tried to leash Tsuna, he hasn’t tried to restrict Tsuna in any way. And that’s important, it’s something that Tsuna couldn’t do without.

But harmonizing is an anchor. Even if it’s one that Tsuna, admittedly, wants. 

Stefano isn’t even convinced that it’s possible. Tsuna is a Sky first and a Cloud second. Is it even possible to harmonize with a secondary? It will be if Tsuna has a say in it. He wants it, he does. 

It isn’t just right yet but _it will be_. 

Which is why when Tsuna shows up to take a mission and finds Xanxus glaring at him with blazing red eyes, he feels a thrill run down his spine. It must show somehow because Xanxus’ attention on him sharpens. 

“Come on, trash,” Xanxus says, slow but uncompromising. “We’re doing this one." 

The idea of lashing at the man for the order crosses his mind for a long moment. Tsuna just slants his head to the side, observing quietly. Xanxus lets him but gives no sign of backing off until finally, Tsuna lets the corner of his mouth twitch up and gestures for the older man to lead the way. 

With the two of them, the mission gets completed so easily that Tsuna almost pouts. He doesn’t, if only because there’s still that interesting edge of lethal notice that Xanxus is giving him. 

Tsuna can’t find it in himself to be surprised when Xanxus guides him back to a safe house instead of the Varia Castle. When Xanxus lashes out as soon as they make it past the door, Tsuna is almost looking forward to it. 

He knows what this is and yes, it’s definitely a risk. One hell of a risk that Stefano will not approve of but there’s something in Tsuna that both wants this and tells him this is going to be great. So he grabs Xanxus’ arm, wedges his leg behind the assassin’s knee and tries to push him off balance. 

Wrath Flames rise to the surface like a siren’s call, possessive and dangerous and familiar. Tsuna takes the kick to the stomach and goes with the movement, gives himself a split second of deliberation and then answers. 

Cloudy Sky explodes around his skin and Tsuna does nothing to restrain it, does nothing to disguise his desire. He knows exactly what he’s projecting. 

Because he _wants this_ but harmonizing is an anchor. And yes, Xanxus is a good Sky but is he one powerful enough that he won’t be used against Tsuna’s freedom? 

Xanxus eyes go wide at the feedback, even as his Wrath reaches for Tsuna’s Cloud. It makes Tsuna snarl and he takes advantage of Xanxus’ slight surprise to snatch the man’s gun and crush it in his fist. 

Fuck that, he thinks. Really, f _uck that._ Xanxus will either have all of him or none. The part of Tsuna that is Sky is greedy. 

The older man winces as the ragged edges of broken metal dig into his skin. Tsuna backs off from the knee trying to plough into his stomach. Their Flames clash and hold. Tsuna could gain ground, he knows this. He doesn’t want to. Tsuna doesn’t want a Sky more powerful than him necessarily. He wants Xanxus. 

And he wants to know he won’t be a liability. 

If he is one now, Tsuna will push him until he isn’t. 

By the dumbfounded look in Xanxus’ face, he seems to finally understand that. The assassin drops the destroyed gun, takes a tight hold of his Wrath Flames and flares. Powerful and refined. The shot that comes from Xanxus’ surviving gun destroys everything in its path. 

Tsuna watches, silent and satisfied, entirely aware that Xanxus is watching him instead. He waits until the last wisps of power dissipate, uncaring of the ashes clogging the air. And then he reaches. Tsuna’s Cloud accepts Xanxus’ Sky at the same time that Xanxus’ Storm latches onto Tsuna’s Sky. 

It leaves them both Flame drunk and clingy. Stefano is going to throw a fit but Tsuna doesn’t care for now. He just burrows into Xanxus’ arms and basks in the sensation.

* * *

**[Sides of me]**

Xanxus wakes up still a little mellow and warm under his armful of sleeping Cloud. It takes probably longer than it should have to somehow reboot his brain. 

He has a Cloud.

And it feels like satisfaction. He’s earned this. It’s not like he hasn’t earned the rest of his Guardians but this Cloud made him work for it. This is the longest he’s ever spent courting an element. The rest of his elements courted him, even if Mammon likes to pretend otherwise. 

This one somewhat did. With the morning coffee and the way Tsunayoshi sought Xanxus’ company sometimes. But that’s the extent of it. It’s more like showing an interest than anything else. 

It was Xanxus who scoured the files for missions that would fit Tsunayoshi’s mood. The same way that it was Xanxus who would coach the younger man’s Flames out to play sometimes. All the while sitting on cranky Sky instincts that just wanted to lay claim, take the one element missing from his set. 

But somewhere deep inside he had known that if he were to misstep, his Cloud would have disappeared and Xanxus would have never seen him again. So he had sucked it up and courted. 

Now he has a Cloud. 

He also has a Sky. 

That had been unexpected. Not unwelcome, necessarily. Where Xanxus’ Sky Flames are all barely leashed violence and possessive satisfaction, Tsunayoshi’s Sky Flames are playful and welcoming. Both their Sky Flames are greedy but that might be a general Sky thing. 

Having Tsunayoshi as a Sky is calming, having him as a Cloud relaxes something inside Xanxus he hadn’t even realized was tense. 

It doesn’t help him get out of his mellow feeling. Logically, he should at least try. The safe house is barely standing, the amount of power they threw around would attract attention. The Sky side of him, however, is damn smug and wants to keep his Cloud close and relaxed. Basking in Xanxus’ Sky. 

The part of him that is Storm is bristling at having his Sky with his guard lowered in a compromised position. Vulnerable, his mind whispers. Unacceptable, the Storm answers. Just a little longer, the Sky cajoles. It’s a strange dichotomy. 

Tsunayoshi, however, has been suppressing the Sky side of him for so long that the Cloud wins rather easily. He drags them to a safe house of his own nearby, murmuring under his breath about somebody called Stefano and he’s _so_ gonna kill me. 

Xanxus can’t be bothered to ask, for the moment. Not when Tsunayoshi’s voice is smug and pleased. He does send a quick message to Squalo so that the man is somewhat appraised of the situation, there’s no need for panic. He wants Squalo to cover for him. He’s not quite ready to share his Sky with his Guardians. 

Accepting the glass of wine Tsunayoshi offers him, Xanxus looks his Sky over, carefully looking for any signs of injuries or discomfort. But all he can find is grogginess and a little wonder. 

“I didn’t realize,” Tsunayoshi murmurs, lighting up a cigarette, “that harmonizing could be this disorienting." 

"It usually isn’t,” Xanxus admits, pulling his Cloud closer to him and letting Tsunayoshi relax against him. “Or at least not for both sides." 

"Ah,” Tsunayoshi crawls into his lap, easily relinquishing his cigarette and stealing the glass for himself. 

But Tsunayoshi adds nothing more to the conversation, he just hums thoughtfully and goes limp. Xanxus snorts but doesn’t comment on that. By now, he’s aware of how physical Tsunayoshi can be. “Am I your only element?" 

"No,” Tsunayoshi shrinks a little and Xanxus’ Storm Flames rise to the surface, angry and volatile. “I have a Rain." 

Stefano, Xanxus guesses. If only by Tsunayoshi’s previous running commentary. There are, however, very few reasons why a Sky would forget harmonizing. His fingers trail a faint scar crossing Tsunayoshi’s temple. "Why?" 

Tsunayoshi seems displeased, tense, but not necessarily unwilling to answer. The younger Sky turns his head so that Xanxus’ hand is cupping it and sighs. "My Flames had just awakened, It wasn’t the best situation. He managed to heal me up." 

So not somehow forced or coerced. Good. That’s good.

* * *

**[Rain's Storm and Cloud]**

So Xanxus might have been thinking more along the lines of cranky Sky than Commander of the Varia. Still, he can twists the entire situation around to sound like he had more of a plan than ‘I want my fucking Cloud.' 

Not that he will just yet but the point is that he can. 

Still, the fact remains that he was behaving more on greedy Sky instincts than anything else. And right now he’s acting on clingy Storm desires. 

He has a Sky. A Sky he theoretically shares with a Rain that is mostly a non-factor. Tsunayoshi called the man one night, took the talking to like a champ and texts the man sometimes. But Xanxus has never met him and the Storm side of him is content to have his Sky himself. 

The Sky almost purrs at finally having a Cloud and is delighted to keep the Cloud close. Xanxus is a little surprised that Tsunayoshi is not going stir crazy. Clouds don’t enjoy being separated from their territories. 

Though Xanxus suspects that Tsunayoshi is running off while Xanxus sleeps. He hasn’t asked.

However, he’s not surprised when Squalo finally has enough of his shit and tracks them down to the safe house. The swordsman shows up among screams and sword slashes. Tsunayoshi is as unimpressed with the display as always. 

“Voi! Shitty boss, you can’t just disappear!” The shark turns on the light and glares at the two of them as they sip from their own glasses. 

“I beg to differ,” Tsunayoshi snorts under his breath, fiddling with his phone. 

Xanxus snorts. 

“Shitty Cloud!” Squalo whirls around, dropping a folder on Tsunayoshi’s lap. “Your fucking division." 

Uh oh. Damn it, Xanxus can feel the edge of danger, the beginnings of rage, on his Cloud’s Flames. 

"Don’t be an idiot,” comes the uncompromising drawl. 

It stills Tsunayoshi from where he was straightening from his slouch. The Sky in him is snarling, his elements should listen to nobody but him. Xanxus says nothing, he’d rather keep his own Rain alive. 

“Ah, but you always call me one. I thought I’d live up to expectations,” his Cloud answers, uncaring. Tsunayoshi gives the man coming through the door a slow once over, not bothered when the guy reaches to read through the file. “What is it?" 

Tsunayoshi’s Rain (presumably) sighs, lines of stress on his face. "They broke through the fence." 

Cloud Flames flare, sudden and furious. Even Squalo has the sense to quiet down. "Oh?” Tsunayoshi stands, eyeing his Rain carefully. “And you tell me this just now?" 

"I’d invested too much in you for you to die by being stupid. I’ve got your targets." 

That seems enough for his Sky who shrugs and reaches for his coat. "Yeah yeah, you love me, old man. Don’t deny it." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Find me in twitter and tumblr, yadda yadda.  
> You know how it goes! Feel free to chat with me :)

**Author's Note:**

> We're officially a little shy of 18k on the Bleach/KHR crossover. I'm actually enjoying it, you know? I kind of like that monster. I'm aiming for 21k to finish but knowing myself, it'll be closer to 30k. 
> 
> After that, I'll be writing that sequel to Cloudy with a chance of chaos that you guys asked for! So stay tuned!
> 
> Tell me if there are any "i" missing, my keyword got messed up and now I've got to copy paste "i". 
> 
> My [Tumblr](https://dearcat1.tumblr.com).


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